WSOP Main Event: Pre-Game Interview-- Adam "Cattaneo" Stormwind

I had the chance to catch up with an old friend of mine, Adam "Cattaneo" Stormwind, from Far Rockaway, NY. Stormwind won a seat into the championship main event via a PokerStars satellite. We used to work together at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City over a decade ago. We bonded instantly after meeting and would play pick up basketball games in Central Park after work.

We frequently played in a regular homegame together that would rotate from my apartment in Brooklyn to another friend's apartment in Manhattan. Ironically, we never played Texas Hold'em. This was in the mid-1990s before the cult film Rounders was released in 1998. We played low-limit stakes and the games we played were Seven-card Stud variations and multiple wild card games.

It's interesting that our lives took different paths over the last decade and reunited on the tournament floor of the Amazon Room at the Rio. He seemed very excited to be playing in the main event. Stormwind recently moved to Las Vegas after quitting his job of 12 years at the Met Museum. He moved out to Vegas to pursue a dealing job for financial stability and to attempt to fulfill his dreams of being a professional poker player.

Pauly: When we used to play poker in homegames back in my living room in Brooklyn, did you ever think about playing in the world's largest poker tournament?

Stormwind: Are you kidding me? No way. We were such amateurs then. If we won or lost $40 it was a lot.

Pauly: So how long have you been playing? And where did you get your start?

Stormwind: I've been playing seriously for almost two years. I've been playing virtually everyday since 2004, mostly online at PokerStars. I learned to play in my Dad's pharmacy playing Hi/Lo games and Five-card Draw as early as age 8.

Pauly: Have you played in the WSOP before?

Stormwind: I have not played in any specific WSOP events. However, I have played in numerous online tounaments on PokerStars. My live casino play has been limited to Foxwoods Casino in Connecticut and the Taj Mahal in AC. We'd take buses down to AC and play all night.

Pauly: What's something that most people don't know about you?

Stormwind: A lot of people I meet through poker say that I remind them of my idol, the late great Stu Ungar. Stuey baby! They say I resemble him in playing style and physical appearance. We both grew up in New York City. We're both born of Jewish descent. We both skipped the 7th grade. We're both about the same weight and height. And we also both moved to Las Vegas, were we belong!

Pauly: After you win the entire Main Event, who do you call first?

Stormwind: The most important people in my life are my parents. And without a doubt, they'd be on the rail cheering me on. I would already be embracing them after my victory. But an actual phone call would go out to my buddy Mel, telling him I still want the $20 he owes me!

Pauly: And what are you going to do with the prize money after you win?

Stormwind: My response would be the same one Stu Ungar gave when he won the WSOP, "Lose it!"

Update: Stormwind had an up and down day. He built his stack to almost 30K and then it slipped to 17K after he had Q-Q and ran into A-A, then his Big Slick lost to Q-10.